Do Some Instrumentals Become Stumbling Blocks?

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 17 May 2012 4:10 pm

A "capo" is a separate entity. It's immaterial and dissimilar to the construction of a guitar. The two do not go together, like a hand in a soft leather glove. When you think about it, it's appearance is more or less of a shabby appearing contrivance. I can't imagine wanting to distort the bell like tones of a vintage Martin guitar by dampening the tones with a capo.

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 17 May 2012 4:18 pm

Nothing to say. Just enjoying the thread.

Cheers,
Arch.

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 17 May 2012 4:53 pm

Bill, please don't play guitar in my blue grass band.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 17 May 2012 5:35 pm

Dave,

I listened to your featured song. I like your vocalizing. My steel was jumping all over the music room trying to find out who was singing.

Bud Angelotti · Post by **Bud Angelotti** » 17 May 2012 6:30 pm

Come on - we gotta keep this going! How about a capo on a banjo? Would that work? No huh. Ah I got it! MOD the CAPO! Thats it! Ah-no huh. sorry

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 17 May 2012 6:34 pm

Barry,

I thrive on memories of working with lay or negative people who will never concede to the fact that they are a few fries short of a happy meal in a problem solvers workshop. Some are so habitually prone to believing that they have all the answers, no amount of disproving by pointing out their errors will convince them otherwise.

Bill, you have essentially just described yourself.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 17 May 2012 7:05 pm

Ray Montee wrote:Elvis Presley helped my musical withdrawl immeasureably.

Elvis helped me with my drawl too.

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 17 May 2012 9:05 pm

Lane Gray wrote:
Tracy Sheehan wrote:As a fiddle player also when i played blue grass in Tn.back in the 50s the guy playing the Martin guitar always used a capo at times as did all other guitar players as needed.Playing rhythm one gets a much fuller sound using a capo for instance,playing in the key of F using a capo and playing in what was called an open chord position. George Jones did many of his songs in F# and capoed to play in an open chord position for the more full sound.
As for my self i never heard the subject of using capos being brought up before the advent of computers. Tracy

You musta hung out in different places than I.
Back in the 70s, when the only computer user I knew was Ben Eldridge (I never have learned exactly what a "computer mathematician" did, but Ben was one), there were a handful of musicians in the performing bluegrass world that called the capo a "cheater's rig." I can only assume whoever they were (sorry, I was a kid, don't recall who) played mando, or was Jim Eanes: he played sock rhythm and the only times I remember him forming a G chord was to play a G run.

I probably did hang out in different places as you as i started playing pro fiddle in the 40s and took up steel in the 50s. I played in over 45 states on the road and some sit downs for a while plus over seas tours.I try and not name any one who i worked with unless for a good reason as i am not a name dropper, rather try not not be.I was doing it for a living not to brag that i worked with so and so.
I really don't understand what the flap is over capos as they were only a tool like pedals and all the other effect units for steel. Sheesh.LOL. Tracy

Bud Angelotti · Post by **Bud Angelotti** » 18 May 2012 3:58 am

Tracy - If I may. This is no flap. This is comedy. Enjoy!

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 18 May 2012 4:14 am

Tracy,

Wouldn't you say that the "capo" inherently is in direct conflict with the preservation of a fine musical instrument? Any device that lessens the quality of a musical instrument by alternately annihilatng a designated pitch, is apt to be a proving ground for wear and tear. It smacks of the typical jack-of-all-trades rushing to assist in a major plumbing problem, with his trusty slip jaw pliers. Occasionally, such problems blossom into irreversible damages, with the end result producing irksome permanent damages; if left to chance. Gimmickries invariably and ultimately end up leaving their tracks behind.

Speaking of gimmicks, surely, after playing in 45 states earlier, during your heydays, you must have met Jerry Byrd in your travels. He avoided the pedals, and I'm still trying to learn the reasons for Jerry taking that course of action.

Bob Simons · Post by **Bob Simons** » 18 May 2012 4:20 am

1) Capos are just another tool. Generally not needed but useful in special applications like preserving a particularly familiar nut-position finger-style arrangement for a singer who needs a different key. Capos are common in Flamenco. (If it is good enough for Carlos Montoya it's good enough for me!)

2) With all due respect to Chet Atkins, he was a very good country picker, but his right hand technique on a nylon stringed guitar was kindergarten at best. From the perspective of a classical guitar player, the right hand controls widely varied intonation, tone, and attack and blocking characteristics of the note, and it CAN'T BE DONE WITH A THUMB PICK! Chet used only a small part of the palette and technique available to the nylon string guitarist.

Chuck Thompson · Post by **Chuck Thompson** » 18 May 2012 9:39 am

gimickries like playing a fine instrument leave tell tale signs such as fret fingerboard and neck wear

maybe Jerry Byrd thought that Buddy Emmons used pedals because his steels were of poor quality

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 18 May 2012 11:35 am

Bob Simons,

If I could refer to RAMON MONTOYA SALAZAR (1880-1949, to express my interest in flamenco style music on the guitar. He was born in a flamenco-playing Gypsy family. Nenown as a virtuoso player, it has been said that he was the greatest solo flamenco guitar player of all time. (I believe it!) He would hide in a closet as a child to learn how to play by listening to his father who would not allow him in the room while he was playing. Ramon was able to recreate from memory, the music his father played.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 18 May 2012 12:43 pm

Ramon Montoya Salazar:

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 18 May 2012 1:32 pm

b0b,

Thanks for posting the photo of Ramon. I'm not too sure of the percentages who are actively interested, when the subject among steel guitarists switches to flamenco guitar performances. It certainly makes me aware of what flamenco players can do with an insignificant amount of wood and six strings.

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 18 May 2012 1:33 pm

And a capo

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 18 May 2012 2:18 pm

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 18 May 2012 4:41 pm

Bud Angelotti wrote:Tracy - If I may. This is no flap. This is comedy. Enjoy!

Think you are correct.

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 18 May 2012 4:46 pm

Bill Hankey wrote:Tracy,

Wouldn't you say that the "capo" inherently is in direct conflict with the preservation of a fine musical instrument? Any device that lessens the quality of a musical instrument by alternately annihilatng a designated pitch, is apt to be a proving ground for wear and tear. It smacks of the typical jack-of-all-trades rushing to assist in a major plumbing problem, with his trusty slip jaw pliers. Occasionally, such problems blossom into irreversible damages, with the end result producing irksome permanent damages; if left to chance. Gimmickries invariably and ultimately end up leaving their tracks behind.

Speaking of gimmicks, surely, after playing in 45 states earlier, during your heydays, you must have met Jerry Byrd in your travels. He avoided the pedals, and I'm still trying to learn the reasons for Jerry taking that course of action.

Jerry Byrd is one of the few steel players i never met. Sort Of like Tommy Morrell (who i did know) simply did not care for pedals. I might add neither needed them thats for sure.Tracy

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 18 May 2012 5:00 pm

Ray Jenkins · Post by **Ray Jenkins** » 18 May 2012 5:43 pm

Jimbeau,you are a meannie....why don't you just ask the question,Whats that thang on the neck of thoes guitars?

Ray

Buck Reid · Post by **Buck Reid** » 18 May 2012 6:14 pm

I find "Giant Steps" to be a formidable task. 2-, 5, 1 progressions up & down the neck at lightning speed!

Jeff Garden · Post by **Jeff Garden** » 18 May 2012 6:52 pm

Tony Soprano just found out about Bill's attitude toward "capos" and he's NOT impressed...

Stephen Silver · Post by **Stephen Silver** » 18 May 2012 7:57 pm

Not only are those guys playing inferior instruments, but they absolutely must not be very good guitarists, cause they are all using capos.

Poor suffering fools. Perhaps if Bill could have knocked some sense into them, they would have actually learned how to properly address and play their inferior instruments.

Yea, and Tony Rice is a has been, washed up, can't play worth a damn guitarist who should probably get Bills help to get over his capo codependence.

Good thread Bill.......for a laugh.

S

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 19 May 2012 12:53 am

A capo (short for capotasto, Italian for "head of fretboard") is a device used on the neck of a stringed (typically fretted) instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. G.B. Doni first used the term in his Annotazioni of 1640, though capo use likely began earlier in the 17th-century.[1] The first patented capo was designed by James Ashborn of Walcottville, Connecticut, USA.[2]
The capo is most commonly used to raise the pitch of a fretted instrument so that a player can perform a piece in a certain key using different fingerings than they would use if played "open" (i.e. without a capo). In effect, a capo uses a fret of an instrument to create a new nut at a higher note than the instrument's actual nut. No matter the style, the capo is typically placed as close to the desired fret as possible, just behind the fret. This holds the strings down behind the fret as securely as possible with the sharpest possible angle to ensure they will remain fretted.
There are numerous styles of capos, but most commercial capos consist of a rubber-covered bar which holds down the strings of the instrument and is clamped to the instrument via one of a number of mechanisms. The same style of capo may be sold in different sizes and shapes for different instruments and fret-board curvatures.
The most relevant mechanical factors which vary by type of capo are their ease/method of use, their size and tendency to interfere with the player's hands, and their ability to hold down the strings uniformly without affecting the tuning of the instrument.
Capos have been used on many other stringed instruments, including relatives of the mandolin (such as the mandola and Greek bouzouki), and four-string banjos. There is a special two-piece capo available for the square-necked Dobro, or resonator guitar, which does not contact the neck, but clamps above and below the strings themselves.

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Do Some Instrumentals Become Stumbling Blocks?

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A Capo Is Just A Mobile Nut - Bill